Sunday, January 06, 2013

The Washington Capitals played almost half a virtual
2012-2013 season before the league and its players association agreed on a
framework for a new labor agreement that would allow a real 2012-2013 season to
be played.

In those 40 games the Caps compiled a record of 21-15-4,
good for second place in the Southeast Division, their 46 points being three
points behind the Carolina Hurricanes and tied for sixth in the Eastern
Conference.

Compared to last season through 40 games, the Caps realized
some improvement.In 2011-2012 they were
21-17-2 at the 40-game mark, this season being a two point improvement over the
40-game total last season.It is not an
insignificant difference.Last year, 44
points after 40 games left the Caps in tenth place in the East, two points
behind eighth-place Pittsburgh.

On the power play, the Caps have become more efficient,
converting 19.8 percent of their man advantages compared to 19.0 after 40 games
last season.The difficulty, though, is
still the team’s inability to draw penalties.Last season they finished 26th in total power play opportunities;
this year they are on a pace to finish last with fewer opportunities (217) than
Colorado finished with last season (222).

The penalty kill has shown greater improvement.The Caps’ 87.1 percent efficiency rate ranks
them fourth in the league.Were they to
finish there it would be a vast improvement over their tie for 20th place
finish last season.

Overall, the offense is right where it was at 40 games last
season – 117 total goals scored.The
defense, though, is much better.The 105
total goals allowed (2.63/game) is 13 fewer than what they were at the same
milepost last season (2.95).

Individually, the leaders through 40 games look like this,
with their comparable 40-game totals from last season…

And so you have it.The Caps after 40 games of this virtual season are a bit better than
last season, but there is still a long way to go.This will be the last installment of our look
at what a 2012-2013 season might have been.With the NHL and NHLPA having reached agreement on a framework for a new
labor deal early this morning, the real thing will be starting up in the next
couple of weeks.Let the real games
begin.

WE INTERRUPT OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED PROGRAMMING

The Washington Capitals enter the 2016-2017 as one of 12 franchises in the NHL never to win a Stanley Cup. Of that group, only the St. Louis Blues (48 seasons), Buffalo Sabres (45 seasons), and Vancouver Canucks (45 seasons) have gone longer never having won a Cup than the Capitals (41 seasons). Six teams came into the league after the Capitals entered the league in 1974-1975 and have won Stanley Cups: Colorado Rockies/New Jersey Devils (1976-1977), Edmonton Oilers (1979-1980), Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche (1979-1980), Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes (1979-1980), Tampa Bay Lightning (1992-1993), and the Anaheim Ducks (1993-1994).

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